Wednesday, July 27, 2011

For The Child in Us All

Zodiac sign Leo, through which the Sun is currently travelling, is associated with 5th house in astrology. 5th house represents, among other things, childhood and child-like activity. We all, no matter how sophisticated or knowledgeable, retain remnants of childhood/child-like fantasies within our nature.

Amid the current bad news cycle of debt ceilings, deficits, impasses with world-wide financial calamity waiting in the wings, it might be wise to "5th-house-it all". Simplify, simplify.....at least for a few minutes, before heading back into the fray.

Few ordinary people, and not too many extraordinary people, fully understand the underpinnings of the present crisis, even less the theatrical games being played by Washington DC's pantomime artists. Authors of books intended for children often had timeless advice to offer - for us all, whatever stage of maturity we have or haven't reached. I don't know about you, but these wee snippets always cheer me during times of worry and wondering about what could possibly come next:







Think (laterally) about A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh ~~~


'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh.
After careful thought Piglet was comforted by this.








It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."



Then think about the Sesame Street story:

There's a Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone


Grover is horrified to learn that there is a monster at the end of the book, and begs the reader not to finish the book, so as to avoid the monster.
Fearful of reaching the end of the book, Grover constructs a series of obstacles, such as attempting to tie pages together and laying brick walls, to prevent the reader from advancing. Increasingly frightened (and also in awe of the reader's strength at overcoming the obstacles), Grover pleads with the reader to stop reading as the book nears its conclusion. However, the monster turns out to be Grover himself, making the story self-referential.


AND

If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Joffe Numeroff.

If a big hungry moose comes to visit, you might give him a muffin to make him feel at home. If you give him a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it. When he's eaten all your muffins, he'll want to go to the store to get some more muffin mix.

That one's a fable President Obama might benefit from reading!

2 comments:

James Higham said...

Absolutely adore Eeyore's take on things. I also like Marvin the Paranoid Android.

Twilight said...

James ~~~ "Life? don't talk to me about life!" LOL!

Yes. Milne and Adams - two writers with incredibly accurate insight into human nature and its innate daftness!

The old gray donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things.
Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.


I can relate to THAT! ;-)